Laborers Local 42 Law Enforcement Division wins contract for Hazelwood Police

Laborers Local 42’s Law Enforcement Division recently entered into a three-year Memorandum of Understand (MOU) with the City of Hazelwood for police officers below the rank of sergeant.  The Hazelwood bargaining unit consists of approximately 55 police officers employed by Hazelwood.

The negotiating teams consisting of three Hazelwood police officers – Brian Hale, Tim Benning and Todd Greeves – along with Local 42 Law Enforcement Director Bill Stark and Local 42 Business Manager Brandon Flinn were successful in making several gains within the agreement.

Two of the biggest gains were seniority rights and the removal of a “flex schedule,” in which officers were not paid for actual time worked but would be forced to alter their work hours or take time off at a later date.

“This agreement was a long time coming,” Stark said. “But the members held tough, hung in their with us and we were able to reach a favorable outcome.  Local 42 is looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the City of Hazelwood and hopes this is but one of many more MOUs to come with other units in the future.”

Police officers in the state of Missouri were only given the right to collectively bargain by the Missouri Supreme Court in 2007 via the Independence decision (Independence National Education Association v. Independence School District), which granted public employees a constitutionally protected right to engage in collective bargaining through representatives of their choosing.

In Hazelwood, Flinn said, “The officers saw a value in that and stood together to collectively bargain this contract.”